Automatic direction switch



y 1941. H A. SCHLOSSER 2,241,164

AUTOMATIC DIRECTION SWITCH Filed March 3, 1939 Inventor ailaYJzZoa'der A ttorneys Patented May 6, 1941 AUTOMATIC DIRECTION SWITCH Henry A. Schlosser, Zieglersville, Pa., assignor of forty-nine per cent to I. 0. Webster, Zieglersville, Pa.

Application March 3, 1939, Serial No. 259,671

2 Claims.

This invention relates to signals for motor vehicles, and has for the primary object the provision of a device of this character which is especially adapted for reducing accidents to a minimum by automatically illuminating various signal characters which are arranged to denote a turn in either direction of the vehicle from a straight course, a reduction of speed of said vehicle, and the bringing of the vehicle to a stop, the various signal characters being so arranged with respect to each other and with certain of said signal characters intermittently illuminated, a person may readily distinguish the signal characters from each other and determine from a maximum distance the meanings of the signal characters.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrading a steering post and column with a steering wheel to which a circuit maker and breaker is adapted for controlling the electric lamps of the right and left hand signal characters.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 88 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, showing the circuit maker and breaker disclosed in Figures 1 and 2.

The signal characters described are each arranged in front of a compartment of the casing and the electric lamps arranged in said com-partments are for the purpose of illuminating the characters in front of the various compartments.

An automatic circuit maker and breaker 2| is employed for controlling the electric lamps and is mounted on the conventional steering post 22 of the motor vehicle. The steering post is shown as equipped with the usual steering wheel 23 and also partly surrounded by a column or casing 24. The casing 24 is fixed so as not to rotate with the steering post 22. The circuit maker and breaker 2| consists of an arcuately curved member 25 to which is secured and insulated therefrom toothed contact plates 26, 21, 23, 23 and 30. The contact plates, excepting the middle one, have terminal posts 3|. The arcuately curved member 25 is mounted on the casing 24 by a bracket 32. A split clamp 33 is secured on the steering post 22 and has forked arms 34 carrying a shaft 35 and on which is journaled a toothed contact 36. The contact 36 moves with the steering post and hereinafter will be referred to as the movable contact while the contacts 26 to 30, inclusive, are carried by the arcuately curved member 25 secured on the column or casing 24 by the bracket 32, consequently do not move and hereinafter will be referred to as the fixed contacts. The contact 28 further will be known as a dead contact. The contacts 26 to 30 are arranged in alignment with each other so that during the rotation of the steering post 22 in opposite directions the movable con-tact 36 rides thereover. When the movable contact 36 is in engagement with the dead contact 28 the vehicle is moving in a straight course, that is, the front wheels of the vehicle are positioned for the travel of the vehicle in a straight course. When the steering wheel 23 is turned to the right for the purpose of making a right hand turn, the movable contact 36 moves first in engagement with the contact 29 and then in engagement with the contact 30. When the steering wheel is turned in an opposite direction to turn the vehicle to the left, the movable contact 36 rides first in engagement with the contact 21 and then into engagement with the contact 25.

The movable contact 36 is electrically grounded to the vehicle due to the clamp 33 being mounted on the steering post 22. Thus it will be seen that the initial turning of the steering wheel 23 will bring about movement of the contact 36 into engagement with the contact 29 illuminating electric lamps designating a right hand turn and a further movement of the steering Wheel to the right illuminates other lamps designating a full right turn. A movement of the steering wheel 23 in a left hand direction to one electric lamp, indicating a left turn, and further movement of steering wheel in a left hand direction illuminates other lamps, indicating a full left hand turn.

As soon as the steering wheel is positioned for steering the vehicle in a straight course, the contact 36 engages the dead contact 28 consequently the electric lamps are then non-illuminated and attention will not be attracted to the right and left hand signal characters.

Having described the claimed is:

1. A switch device for a directional signal of a motor vehicle which includes a stationary column and a rotary steering shaft passing therethrough, said switch comprising an arcuate member, a bracket supporting the same from the col umn and holding the same in concentric relation to the steering shaft, a plurality of curved coninvention, what is tacts mounted on and insulated from the curved member and said contacts being insulated from each other, the center cont-act being of short length and arranged at the middle of the curved member, the contacts next to the short contact being of longer length than said short contact and the outermost contacts being of greater length than the longer contacts, contact posts carried by and insulated from the arcuate member and connected one to each of the contacts excepting the middle contact, a clamping ring encircling a part of the steering shaft and clamped thereto and having a forked projection thereon, a shaft passing through the prongs of the forked projection and a contact Wheel rotatably arranged on the shaft for engaging the contacts of the arcuate member, with the wheel resting on the middle contact when the steering shaft is in a position for steering the vehicle in a straight line, the wheel first engaging a shorter contact and then the longer contact when the steering shaft is operated to cause the vehicle to make a turn.

2. A switch device for a directional signal of a motor vehicle which includes a stationary column and a rotary steering shaft passing therethrough, said switch comprising an arcuate member, a bracket supporting the same from the column and holding the same in concentric relation to the steering shaft, a plurality of curved contacts mounted on and insulated from the curved member and said contacts being insulated from each other, the center contact being of short length and arranged at the middle of the curved member, the contacts next to the short contact being of longer length than said short contacts and the outermost contacts being of greater length than the longer contacts, contact posts carried by and insulated from the arcuate member and connected one to each of the contacts excepting the middle contact, a clamping ring encircling a part of the steering shaft and. clamped thereto and having a forked projection thereon, a shaft passing through the prongs of the forked projection and a contact wheel rotatably arranged on the shaft for engaging the contacts of the arcaute member, with the wheel resting on the middle contact when the steering shaft is in a position for steering the vehicle in a straight line, the wheel first engaging a shorter contact and then the longer contact when the steering shaft is operated to cause the vehicle to make a turn, each contact being formed with teeth and the wheel having teeth for engaging the teeth of the contacts.

HENRY A. SCHLOSSER. 

